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Tall artificial palm vs small: which height to buy

Updated: 21 October 2026

You are choosing between a floor palm and a plant for a desk. A tall artificial palm vs small decision fails in two directions. A 71 cm areca cannot fill a stairwell. A 180 cm areca is the wrong object for a desk, and a 270 cm title will not fit a typical UK flat. This page is that one size choice. Shelf prices are on the [artificial palm comparison](/hub/houseplants/artificial-palm). Peter F. used the staged amazon.co.uk files and Leaf's size guide on 20 October 2026. The ceiling gap is a retailer's rule of thumb, not a building regulation. A qualifying purchase can earn a commission at no extra cost to you.

You are choosing between a floor palm and a plant for a desk. A tall artificial palm vs small decision fails in two directions. A 71 cm areca cannot fill a stairwell.

Our top picks

Keeplush Keeplush 180 cm areca palm

Best overall

Keeplush Keeplush 180 cm areca palm
8.8/10about £65.99
View offer
Tuocal Tuocal 71 cm areca palm

Best value

Tuocal Tuocal 71 cm areca palm
8.6/10about £18.99
View offer
CROSOFMI CROSOFMI 170 cm areca palm

Rank 3

CROSOFMI CROSOFMI 170 cm areca palm
9.2/10about £55.99
View offer
On this page
  1. 1.The gap under the ceiling
  2. 2.When the floor palms in this set are the right object
  3. 3.When a 60 to 80 cm palm is the right object
  4. 4.The middle height and the too-tall title

The gap under the ceiling

Leaf's size guide takes about 30 to 40 cm between foliage and ceiling. Subtract about 40 cm from the ceiling before you believe a title. Many UK homes are about 2.3 to 2.4 m. Leaf's worked example is an 180 cm tree plus a planter of about 15 cm, which still fits 2.4 m. Botanik says a planter often adds 20 to 30 cm, so the same tree can approach 2.1 m. Use the sterner figure if your planter is a deep drum. Leaf's own 180 cm palm is about 100 cm across in arranged photos, and the golden cane bullet of 48 by 48 inches depends on how you bend the fronds. Measure at elbow height, not at the skirting.

When the floor palms in this set are the right object

Choose 150 to 180 cm when the corner is empty and the plant should read from the doorway. Keeplush's 180 cm areca matches title and dimension line: £65.99, 4.5 from 1,614 reviews, 4.72 kg in a 6 inch pot that UK reviews call top heavy. CROSOFMI's 170 cm areca is £55.99, 4.5 from 423 reviews, with an outer planter of 18 to 22 cm inside. It is the top pick for an indoor floor palm whose height lines agree, and it has no UV line. The triple golden cane only belongs here if you plan to 150 cm on the dimension line, not to the 5 ft title or the 72 inch bullet.
Keeplush Keeplush 180 cm areca palm

Testsieger

Keeplush Keeplush 180 cm areca palm
8.8/10about £65.99
View offer

When a 60 to 80 cm palm is the right object

Choose 60 to 80 cm for a desk, shelf or a bathroom with no spare corner. Tuocal's 71 cm areca matches: £18.99, 30 × 30 × 71 cm, 1.16 kg, 4.5 from 431 reviews. It is the best value pick, and the wrong plant for a hallway. There is no UV line. Laelfe is also titled 71 cm, at £14.99 and 240 g, and UK reviews say it topples. The model number is Monstera Pflanze. Cnwinu's pair and Lighterday's bullet do not give you two matching palms at one agreed height. Two small pots are not one 180 cm tree. Shaping is on how to shape an artificial palm.

The middle height and the too-tall title

Briful's 110 cm areca is the middle you can measure: £46.99, 4.3 from 244 reviews, dimension line 15 × 15 × 110 cm. It suits a lower ceiling and looks short in a stairwell. The 120 cm Briful matches 18 × 18 × 120 cm at £35.19, but it is 4.1 from 4 and the written reviews are from Germany. ZEEOZE is titled 270 cm at £79.41 with a 12.7 kg base and no dimension line. A 2.4 m ceiling cannot take that title. If the corner is empty under about 2.4 m, use the 170 or 180 cm areca. If the plant is for a desk, use the Tuocal 71 cm. Picks that are not about height are on the best artificial palm page.

Common questions

Will a 180 cm palm fit a normal flat?
Often, if the ceiling is about 2.4 m and the planter adds no more than about 15 cm, which is Leaf's worked example and only a rule of thumb. Botanik's 20 to 30 cm lift can push the same tree towards 2.1 m. Keeplush's 180 cm areca matches its dimension line. You still need floor width.
When is 70 cm enough?
When the job is a desk, a shelf, a side table or a small bathroom, not a corner you see from the front door. Tuocal at 71 cm is the listing whose dimension line agrees. Laelfe is the same claimed height at 240 g, and UK reviews say it falls over.
Is 110 or 120 cm the middle?
Briful's 110 cm areca is the middle with UK reviews: 4.3 from 244, and the dimension line matches. The 120 cm Briful matches its own dimension line and has almost no UK commentary, at 4.1 from 4. Neither replaces an 180 cm palm in a tall corner.
Is 270 cm for a house with an ordinary ceiling?
No. ZEEOZE's title says 270 cm and the file has no dimension line to confirm it. A 2.3 to 2.4 m ceiling is already shorter than that title before you add a pot. Measure on delivery before you commit a stairwell.
Do two small palms replace one tall one?
Only if you wanted two small accents. Two 71 cm plants do not occupy the vertical space of a 180 cm areca, and two Laelfe pots at 240 g each are still two light pots. Buy the height you measured.
Which small listing is actually a palm?
Tuocal's 71 cm file stays an areca in the title, the dimension line and the leaf count. Laelfe's model number is Monstera Pflanze. Lighterday's bullet adds a Monstera. If the model number and the title disagree, do not plan the shelf until you know which plant is in the parcel.

Related pages

Artificial palm buying guide

Artificial palm outdoors

Artificial palm

Best artificial palm tree UK: hallway, desk or skip

How to shape an artificial palm after it arrives flat

Sources

Public UK sources named below. amazon.co.uk prices, stars and review counts on these eleven listings were taken from the category files. Page updated 21 October 2026.

  1. Leaf palm guide (retrieved 21 October 2026)
  2. Leaf size guide (retrieved 21 October 2026)
  3. Leaf care guide (retrieved 21 October 2026)
  4. Leaf outdoor guide (retrieved 21 October 2026)
  5. Kent Fire and Rescue: artificial or dried foliage (retrieved 21 October 2026)
  6. West Sussex County Council: artificial plants and fire safety (retrieved 21 October 2026)
  7. GOV.UK, General Product Safety Regulations 2005 (retrieved 21 October 2026)
  8. Consumer Rights Act 2015, section 22 (retrieved 21 October 2026)